Lakers Coach Mike D'Antoni was stunned to learn Thursday that Kobe Bryant will be out six weeks with a knee injury. "You hate it for Kobe, he's worked so hard getting back," D'Antoni said. "He was coming on. His shot percentage kept getting better and his turnovers kept getting less. " Bryant missed the team's first 19 games, recovering from Achilles surgery. He was hurt in his sixth game on Tuesday in a win over the Memphis Grizzlies. "It's just bad luck," said D'Antoni.

December 5, 2013 | By Zaid Ali and Laura King, This post has been updated. See the note below for details.

SANA, Yemen -- In a strike that bore the hallmarks of Al Qaeda, assailants in military uniforms staged a brazen daytime assault Thursday on Yemen's defense ministry, setting off a daylong battle that killed at least four dozen people and left scores injured, with some foreigners believed to be among the dead. The attack, which terrorized residents of a crowded district in the capital's old city , began with a thunderous car-bomb blast at the compound's gate, and a separate push by fighters on foot and armed with assault weapons.

As if to underscore the classic status of Britten's "War Requiem," a swarm of new and old recordings of the piece has been released this fall. Coming this week will be a new recording led by Antonio Pappano, with a glittering trio of soloists (Anna Netrebko, Ian Bostridge and Thomas Hampson) on Warner Classics. That's not close to all. - From the Czech Radio archives comes a live 1966 performance led by Karel Ancerl two years before the Soviets marched into Prague (Supraphon). Despite the mediocre sound and some flaws (the boys' chorus comes in four bars early in the Offertorium, nearly causing a train wreck)

Diane Long will sit in an Edward Jones Dome luxury box Sunday, binoculars lifted to her eyes, her focus trained on the line of scrimmage. She won't be following the football much when the St. Louis Rams play host to the Chicago Bears. For four quarters, the trenches will be the center of her universe. On one side of the line of scrimmage will be Long's eldest son, Chris, standout defensive end for the Rams. On the other, her middle son, Kyle, rookie guard for the Bears. In the suite, a couple of nervous parents - Diane and her husband, Hall of Fame defensive lineman Howie Long.

Bear sightings have become a common occurrence in the Los Angeles foothills, but in Huntington Beach? Passersby were stopped in their tracks this week at the sight of a bear peering out the window of a yellow Lamborghini near the beach city's Main Street. Video footage shows a crowd form around the car, with spectators hesitantly running up to the window to snap a photo with the mellow ursine and give it a pat on the head. Some believed people were simply ogling the flashy sports car before noticing a furry head poking out the window.

Two men were arrested in Northern California on suspicion of illegally luring a black bear with bait, killing it and then trying to butcher and partially dispose of the carcass in a shallow grave. Jason Scott Wilkison, 43, of Grass Valley, and Christopher Art Nunley, 54, of North San Juan, were arrested following a five-month investigation that involved using DNA testing to piece together and build the bear-poaching case, the Tahoe Daily Tribune reported. “This bear had been killed during April of 2013, well after the bear season,” said Mark Michilizzi, a California Department of Fish and Wildlife warden.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti sent an email blast to his supporters Tuesday, but this time he wasn't asking for campaign donations or votes. Instead, he was seeking stuffed animals. The mayor is collecting teddy bears to be given out at the scene of emergencies. He said he came up with the idea after this month's mass shooting at Los Angeles International Airport. In his email, Garcetti asked residents to drop off new teddy bears at locations around the city . The bears will be handed out by the city's crisis response team, a crew of volunteers who respond to emergencies alongside police officers and firefighters to offer emotional support.

On the list of U.S. military priorities, Africa has always ranked right smack at the bottom. Now that appears to be changing. As Eric Schmitt recently reported in the New York Times, "thousands of soldiers once bound for Iraq or Afghanistan are now gearing up for missions in Africa. " Before the gearing up proceeds much further, Americans might want to ask a few questions. Chief among them are these: Why the sudden shift in priorities? What's the aim? Who stands to benefit? What risks does the militarization of U.S. policy in Africa entail?

BERKELEY -- USC knew Stanford was looming, across the bay in Palo Alto and on the schedule next week at the Coliseum. But the Trojans did not let their minds wander. On Saturday, surging USC routed California, 62-28, at Memorial Stadium with an electrifying display on offense and special teams. Nelson Agholor's breakaway speed was in full effect. Javorius Allen showed his performance a week ago was no fluke. And Josh Shaw continued to demonstrate a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

Bear Henderson, a senior forward who transferred from Mission Hills Alemany to Sun Valley Village Christian, will be eligible on Jan. 6, Village Christian Athletic Director Kevin Aust said. Yet to be cleared is another Alemany transfer, Bennie Boatwright, a junior who arrived at Village Christian and moved. Aust said the school hopes to clear Boatwright shortly and he would be eligible immediately. Eric.sondheimer@latimes.com